Small consumer electrical devices (for example, digital cameras, digital music players, cellular telephones, personal digital assistants, laptop computers) typically have a jack or socket for receiving DC (direct current) voltage power. An AC-to-DC converter is typically supplied with the electrical device. The AC-to-DC converter has a wall plug for plugging the AC-to-DC converter into an AC wall socket. The AC-to-DC converter also has a power cord that terminates in a plug. To power the electrical device from power received from the wall socket, the plug of the AC-to-DC converter is plugged into the receiving DC power input socket of the electrical device. The electrical device is-then powered by a DC voltage received from the converter.
A consumer may have many different electrical devices, each of which is to be powered from a different DC voltage and may have a different type of DC power input socket. As a result, the consumer may have a confusing mess of similar, yet different, AC-to-DC converters for powering these many consumer devices. It would be nice for the consumer to have a single AC-to-DC converter that would be usable to power any one of the multiple different electrical devices.
A device sometimes called a universal AC-to-DC converter exists. The power cord of a universal AC-to-DC converter typically terminates in a plurality of plugs of different types and sizes. Hopefully, one of the plugs will fit into the DC voltage input power socket of an electrical device to be powered. If one of the plugs fits, then the consumer can manipulate a switch on the AC-to-DC converter to select one of a plurality of possible DC output voltages. The AC-to-DC converter may also include a switch for switching the polarity of the DC voltage that is output onto the contacts of the adapter's plugs.
Such universal AC-to-DC converters are, unfortunately, considered cumbersome to use. In some cases, the switch can inadvertently be moved when the converter is in use, resulting in an improper and potentially damaging voltage being applied to the electrical device. Moreover, the number of different selectable output voltages is often quite limited due to the expense of providing a large, many position switch to select the output voltage.
In addition to the universal AC-to-DC converter being cumbersome to use, a universal AC-to-DC converter does not provide a simple automatic way of determining whether the AC-to-DC converter will be able to supply enough output current to power a desired electrical device properly. The consumer is left to check the specifications of the electrical device to be powered with the output capabilities of the universal converter. This is an inconvenient exercise.
An elegant solution is desired.